DRIVE

SOUTHERN

DRIVE SOUTHERN AFRICA

 REGIONAL OVERVIEWS
 DRIVING ROUTES
 EASY-TO-USE STRIP ROUTES
 LOCATION MAPS
 IMAGES & DETAILS OF TOP SITES
 FULL 64 PAGE ATLAS SECTION COVERING:
AFRICA
SOUTH AFRICA, LESOTHO, NAMIBIA, BOTSWANA, ZIMBABWE & MOZAMBIQUE

 96 CITY & TOWN MAPS

 DETAILED TOURISM RESOURCES

© Map Studio 2008. Previous edition published

as the Touring Atlas of Southern Africa ISBN
1-86809-807-9. All rights reserved. No part of
this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic
DRIVING ROUTES AROUND SOUTHERN AFRICA
tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise, without prior permission in writing

60 TOP SITES
from the Copyright owner.

Cover image by Hirsh Aronowitz

Map Studio & the MapStudio device trademarked
to New Holland Publishing (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd

TRAVEL
96 CITY & TOWN MAPS
COMPREHENSIVE ROAD ATLAS
www.mapstudio.co.za

DETAILED RESOURCE SECTION

p2-3E 3/17/08 11:29 AM Page 8

CONTENTS
4&5 36 & 37 SKELETON COAST
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK PICTURE ROUTE SITE – SOSSUSVLEI
...................................................... POLOKWANE TO CHIMANIMANI ......................................................
6&7 SITE – EASTERN HIGHLANDS 66 & 67
MAP OVERVIEW OF SITES ...................................................... SITE – CENTRAL KALAHARI
...................................................... 38 & 39 GAME RESERVE
8 to 11 SITE – NORTHEASTERN FREE STATE SITE – SWAKOPMUND SURROUNDS
BEST OF SOUTHERN AFRICA SITE – GREAT ZIMBABWE ......................................................
...................................................... 68 & 69
40 & 41 MAIN ROUTE  INTRODUCTION
ROUTES MAIN ROUTE  INTRODUCTION SWAKOPMUND TO VICTORIA FALLS
12 & 13 CAPE TOWN TO VICTORIA FALLS ......................................................
MAIN ROUTE  INTRODUCTION ...................................................... 70 & 71
CAPE TOWN TO GHANZI TOWN 42 & 43 PICTURE ROUTE
...................................................... PICTURE ROUTE SWAKOPMUND TO SESFONTEIN
14 & 15 OVERBERG TO MAPUTO ......................................................
PICTURE ROUTE ...................................................... 72 & 73
CAPE TOWN TO THE CEDERBERG 44 & 45 PICTURE ROUTE
...................................................... PICTURE ROUTE KAOKOLAND TO KHOMAS HOCHLAND
16 & 17 SOUTH COAST TO MAPUTO SITE – KAOKOLAND
PICTURE ROUTE SITE – WILD COAST ......................................................
WEST COAST TO WATERBERG ...................................................... 74 & 75
PLATEAU PARK 46 & 47 TOP SITE – ETOSHA PAN
...................................................... TOP SITE – GARDEN ROUTE ......................................................
18 & 19 ...................................................... 76 & 77
TOP SITE – CAPE PENINSULA 48 & 49 PICTURE ROUTE
...................................................... TOP SITE – ZULULAND, MAPUTALAND KHAUDOM TO VICTORIA FALLS
20 & 21 & INHACA ......................................................
TOP SITE – WEST COAST ...................................................... 78 & 79
FLOWER ROUTE 50 & 51 SITE – ZAMBEZI RIVER (ZAMBIA)
...................................................... PICTURE ROUTE SITE – CAPRIVI STRIP
22 & 23 MAPUTO TO VICTORIA FALLS ......................................................
PICTURE ROUTE SITE – MANA POOLS 80 & 81
ETOSHA TO GHANZI TOWN ...................................................... MAIN ROUTE  INTRODUCTION
...................................................... 52 & 53 DURBAN TO MAPUTO/WINDHOEK
24 & 25 TOP SITE – VICTORIA FALLS ......................................................
TOP SITE – OKAVANGO DELTA ...................................................... 82 & 83
...................................................... 54 & 55 PICTURE ROUTE
26 & 27 MAIN ROUTE  INTRODUCTION DURBAN TO KZN MIDLANDS
MAIN ROUTE  INTRODUCTION CAPE TOWN TO SWAKOPMUND SITE – MIDLANDS MEANDER
AI-AIS TO MUTARE ...................................................... ......................................................
...................................................... 56 & 57 84 & 85
28 & 29 PICTURE ROUTE PICTURE ROUTE
PICTURE ROUTE WORCESTER TO GABORONE DUNDEE TO SOWETO
ORANGE RIVER TO AUGRABIES FALLS ...................................................... SITE – SOWETO
SITE – KGALAGADI-KALAHARI 58 & 59 ......................................................
...................................................... PICTURE ROUTE 86 & 87
30 & 31 FRANCISTOWN TO MATOBO HILLS TOP SITE – BATTLEFIELDS &
PICTURE ROUTE SITE – HWANGE CENTRAL DRAKENSBERG
GREEN KALAHARI TO KATSE DAM ...................................................... ......................................................
...................................................... 60 & 61 88 & 89
32 & 33 TOP SITE – CHOBE PICTURE ROUTE
SITE – FISH RIVER CANYON ...................................................... WINDHOEK TO MAPUTO
& RICHTERSVELD 62 & 63 ......................................................
SITE – MALUTI MOUNTAINS PICTURE ROUTE 90 & 91
& SANI BULAWAYO TO SWAKOPMUND SITE – SUN CITY, PILANESBERG &
...................................................... ...................................................... CRADLE OF HUMANKIND
34 & 35 64 & 65 SITE – KRUGER (SOUTH) & BLYDE
PICTURE ROUTE PICTURE ROUTE CANYON
BLOEMFONTEIN TO MAGALIESBERG NAMIB TO SESRIEM ......................................................
...................................................... SITE – HENTIES BAY &

2
p2-3E 3/17/08 11:29 AM Page 9

92 & 93 Beira – Mozambique Lüderitz – Namibia

MAIN ROUTE  INTRODUCTION Inhambane – Mozambique ......................................................
HARARE TO GORONGOSA ...................................................... 124
...................................................... 114 Mariental – Namibia
94 & 95 Beaufort West – South Africa Okahandja – Namibia
PICTURE ROUTE Bethlehem – South Africa Opuwo – Namibia
HARARE TO NIASSA RESERVE Citrusdal – South Africa Oshakati – Namibia
SITE – NORTHERN MOZAMBIQUE Clanwilliam – South Africa ......................................................
...................................................... ...................................................... 125
96 & 97 115 Otjiwarongo – Namibia
PICTURE ROUTE Colesberg – South Africa Rundu – Namibia
MAPUTO TO BEIRA George – South Africa Sesfontein – Namibia
SITE – GORONGOSA NATIONAL PARK Estcourt – South Africa Swakopmund – Namibia
...................................................... Graaff-Reinet – South Africa ......................................................
98 & 99 ...................................................... 126
TOP SITE – MOZAMBIQUE 116 Tsumeb – Namibia
COASTLINE Grahamstown – South Africa Francistown – Botswana
Knysna – South Africa Ghanzi – Botswana
STREETPLANS Kroonstad – South Africa Jwaneng – Botswana
100 & 101 Ladysmith – South Africa ......................................................
ORIENTATION MAP – Southern Africa ...................................................... 127
showing cities and towns covered 117 Kanye – Botswana
Pretoria – South Africa Lamberts Bay – South Africa Mahalapye – Botswana
...................................................... Mashishing – South Africa Nata – Botswana
102 & 103 Mossel Bay – South Africa Selebi Phikwe – Botswana
Cape Town – South Africa Musina – South Africa ......................................................
Windhoek – Namibia ...................................................... 128
...................................................... 118 Chimanimani – Zimbabwe
104 & 105 Newcastle – South Africa Chinhoyi – Zimbabwe
Gaborone – Botswana Oudtshoorn – South Africa Gweru – Zimbabwe
Maputo – Mozambique Pilgrims Rest – South Africa Kariba – Zimbabwe
...................................................... Port Shepstone – South Africa ......................................................
106 & 107 ...................................................... 129
Maseru – Lesotho 119 Kwekwe – Zimbabwe
Mbabane – Swaziland Richards Bay – South Africa Masvingo – Zimbabwe
Harare – Zimbabwe Rustenburg – South Africa Mutare – Zimbabwe
...................................................... Sishen – South Africa Victoria Falls – Zimbabwe
108 & 109 Springbok – South Africa ......................................................
Johannesburg – South Africa ...................................................... 130
Port Elizabeth – South Africa 120 Blantyre – Malawi
East London – South Africa Stellenbosch – South Africa Mozambique Island – Mozambique
...................................................... St Lucia – South Africa Nampula – Mozambique
110 Strand – South Africa ......................................................
Durban – South Africa Swellendam – South Africa 131
Pietermaritzburg – South Africa ...................................................... Quelimane – Mozambique
Kimberley – South Africa 121 Tete – Mozambique
...................................................... Tzaneen – South Africa Vilankulo – Mozambique
111 Mthatha – South Africa Xai-Xai – Mozambique
Bloemfontein – South Africa Upington – South Africa
Polokwane – South Africa Vryburg – South Africa TOURING MAPS
Bhisho – South Africa ...................................................... 132 & 133
...................................................... 122 ORIENTATION MAP – Showing
112 Vryheid – South Africa pagination of main touring maps
Nelspruit – South Africa eMalahleni – South Africa ......................................................
Mafikeng – South Africa Worcester – South Africa 134 to 197
Keetmanshoop – Namibia Gobabis – Namibia Main touring maps
Walvis Bay – Namibia ......................................................
...................................................... 123 RESOURCES
113 Henties Bay – Namibia 198 to 207
Maun – Botswana Katima Mulilo – Namibia Tourism resources
Bulawayo – Zimbabwe Kolmanskop – Namibia ......................................................

3
p68-79E 3/17/08 3:47 PM Page 68
 SWAKOPMUND TO
VICTORIA FALLS (ZAMBIA)
National West Coast
Recreation Area
If you’re not in a hurry and you’re
prepared to stop and smell the roses
(in this case, actually, it’s the not-so-
sweet-smelling seals), stop off at the
Cape Cross Seal Reserve on the
coast directly north of Swakopmund.
The eared Cape fur seals are in fact
not a true seal species; they belong
to the sea lion family.
Swakopmund
Kaokoland and Kunene
In the Herero language, kaoko is
‘left-hand side’ (of the river) while
kunene is ‘right-hand side’, hence
Kaokoland describes the land to
the south of the river and Kunene
implies any land to the north (that
is, Angola).
68
Daan Viljoen Game Park
If, after having spent so much time
in true wilderness, you can’t face
the civilisation of Windhoek, turn the
wheel towards Daan Viljoen (see
also p17) for your night stop. Share
Augeigas dam with the waterbirds
and revel in the rolling hills and
thorn trees while you watch the
sinking sun.
Cunene/Kunene Grootfontein
756km 893km 452km 250km
Windhoek
Grootfontein
If you haven’t already seen it, the
Hoba meteorite (see also p22) is
worth a detour on the C42 to
Tsumeb. Turn off on the D2859,
which has a trail of signposts.
Roughly 3x3m (10x10ft) in size, it’s
the largest known single meteorite
on earth. It’s speculated that other
fragments could exist undiscovered
– all of them part of a once much
larger meteorite.
 p68-79E 3/17/08 3:47 PM Page 69

The local Leya people of Zambia make offerings each February to the ancestral spirits they believe still
dwell in the Zambezi’s Batoka gorge. The Zimbabwean Tonga people are protected by their serpent-cum-fish
rivergod, Nyaminyami.

Rundu Livingstone Island Zambezi Bridge

Between Rundu and the Caprivi Strip,
travellers will notice roadside stalls
selling local Kavango handicrafts and
carvings. The Kavango ingenuity is
expressed in the form of stools,
walking sticks, masks and wild ani-
mals, all fashioned out of wild teak.
Having been taken to the island now Constructed of steel in the early
named after him, David Livingstone 1900s, this single-arch, cantilevered
wrote in his diary: ‘[They] brought me bridge spanning the Zambezi River
to an island in the middle of the was designed by Sir Douglas Fox.
river, on the edge of the lip over
which the water rolls. Creeping with
awe to the verge, I peered down into
a large rent which had been made
from bank to bank.’

Katima Mulilo Via Zambia Victoria Falls

250km 516km 193km 10km
Rundu Livingstone

TANZANIA
Quirimba
Archipelago
MALAWI
Niassa Pemba
ZAMBIA Lilongwe GR Mozambique
Island
ANGOLA Lusaka Cuamba
Tete
Liwonde Mozambique
Mana
Za

Katima Pools NP
Ruacana Falls
m

Cun e ne Caprivi z Mulilo Nyamapanda

be

GP i
Harare
Ruacana Rundu Livingstone Gorongosa
Victoria Falls NP Quelimane
Khaudom Mutare
Etosha NP
GR Okavango Chobe ZIMBABWE Zambezi Delta
Tsumeb Delta MaunNP Inchope
Masvingo Chimoio
Sesfontein Grootfontein Tsodilo Bulawayo Beira
Hills
NAMIBIA Ghanzi Makgadikgadi Gonarezhou NP
Khorixas Francistown
Pans GR
Gobabis Buitepos MOZAMBIQUE
Central Musina Vilankulo
Swakopmund
Daan Windhoek (Border Post) Kalahari GR INDIAN
Li

BOTSWANA Marakele OCEAN

mp

Viljoen GP
Rehoboth Kang NP
op

Sossusvlei Polokwane Inhambane

Kgalagadi Gaborone
o

Caprivi Strip Transfrontier Hartbeesport KNP

Dense woodland, tangled and glossy Keetmanshoop
NP Dam Pretoria
Mafikeng Maputo
greenery, and an untouched wildness Lüderitz Johannesburg Mbabane SWAZILAND
Vaal Dam
to the unruly vegetation – the Caprivi Ai-Ais Upington Harrismith
ge Kimberley
lodges aim to make the most of this Oran ge Battlefields N
Vioolsdrif Augrabies an
stage-setting along this expanse of Falls NP Or Maseru Midlands
Springbok Bloemfontein
fertile floodplain, and most have SOUTH Sani Pass Durban
striking riverbank locations. ATLANTIC AFRICA LESOTHO
Clanwilliam Mthatha
OCEAN Beaufort West
Langebaan East London
0 500km
Robben Island George
Cape Town Port Elizabeth
Swellendam Knysna 0 1.2cm

69
p68-79E 3/17/08 3:50 PM Page 70
Swakopmund to Sesfontein
BRANDBERG NATURE
RESERVE
From the B2 heading out of Swakopmund,
the route peels off north towards
Damaraland – major 4x4 territory. You’re
now in flat scrub country, so when the tall
imposing Brandberg massif makes itself
apparent on the horizon, it comes as a
surprise to the senses. Why it’s called
‘brandberg’ (burning mountain) is not at
first evident, as it’s sometimes streaked
grey-white, sometimes has reddish-hued
potential (with a little imagination), and is
sometimes pockmarked with tenacious
trees. It’s likely that at times the rock
takes on a glow as it stands reflected in
the dying sun. Famous for its White Lady
painting, Brandberg divulges a great many
more to tenacious hikers. Best experi-
enced on a multiple-day excursion, a local
guide can help you track down the more
elusive sites. Numas ravine cuts into the
western face and will reveal rock art
depicting a snake, giraffe and an antelope,
with more paintings further along, near a
spring. On the eastern face, the shelters
and overhangs of Tsisab ravine (White
Lady territory) feature many more paintings
– but not before some strenuous clamber-
ing over massive boulders. Hikers can
camp at unofficial sites in both ravines but
be aware there’s no water; otherwise,
there’s the Brandberg campsite.
Tel: 00264 61 285 7200/000
Email: reservations@nwr.com.na
Website: www.nwr.com.na
See Touring Maps: p166, 167>
70
THE WHITE LADY
You need to want to see this ancient paint-
ing, especially when it’s a searing 40ºC
(104ºF), as it demands an energy expend-
ing walk together with a guide, which could
take up to an hour if agility is not at the
high end of your fitness scale. It’s pro-
tected by a railing but stands about 40cm
(16in) tall. Speculation puts it at 16,000
years old! At first believed to be a lady
because of the figure’s long, straight, light-
tinted hair – this fact also confused early
experts who professed her to follow the
Cretan or Egyptian artwork style – it’s now
possible that it’s a male decorated with
painted clay in a shamanic situation.
Tel: 00264 61 255 977/85 7000
Email: reservations@nwr.com.na
Website: www.nwr.com.na
DAMARALAND
Because of its remoteness, this vast
wilderness extending east of the Skeleton
Coast Park and northward to Kaokoland
can only be explored properly in a 4x4.
None of the roads are tarred, sizable
towns do not exist and western civilisation
is present only in the form of lodges and,
in many cases, community-run campsites
for travellers. The Damara people subsist
with their livestock in this unforgiving ter-
rain. As you progress north, the dryness
manifests in fleshy, thorny euphorbias,
umbrella’d canopies of camelthorn acacias
and the shepherd’s tree which, most
times, doesn’t appear to offer too much
shade to shepherds overcome by the heat.
Tel: 00264 61 290 6000
Email: info@namibiatourism.com.na
Website: www.namibiatourism.com.na
See Touring Map: p167>
TWYFELFONTEIN
& BURNT MOUNTAIN
The long, sandy road to Twyfelfontein is
worth the drive alone through the narrow
Aba-Huab valley lined with mind-boggling
rock terrain. All around, an ever-changing
mountainscape dominates larger than life:
at times pebbled and stony, at others,
boulder-strewn or baring a shattered cliff-
face, at yet others, covered with scrub and
tenacious, tortured trees. Then there are
the 2500 or so petroglyphs – rock en-
gravings – and paintings that combine to
create Twyfelfontein’s intensely special art
gallery. The mountain itself, a gorgeous
orange-red at the end of the day, has an
aura of mystique with its bizarre, eroded
shapes, while the more unusual engrav-
ings – a lion with an erect tail, a seal (so
far from the sea!) and two tiny handprints
– reflect the experiences of ancient peo-
ples living here from around 300BC.
Nearby, Burnt Mountain (Verbrandeberg)
rises at the foot of a 12km (7-mile)
volcanic ridge. Contrary to reports that it
glows at sunset, it has a desolate, brown,
stony face covered in black streaks remi-
niscent of a furnace, as if it really has
been burnt. Across the road from it, at
a cleared parking area, visitors can
descend a steep path to the Organ Pipes,
a 100m (109yd) row of thin, fluted
columns where cooling dolerite has split
into vertical lengths.
Tel: 00264 61 255 977/0 558
Email: office@nacobta.com.na
Website: www.nacobta.com.na
See Touring Maps: p166, 167>
p68-79E 3/17/08 3:50 PM Page 71

PETRIFIED FOREST
Closest of the sites in the vicinity of
Khorixas is the Petrified Forest to the west
– not exactly a ‘forest’, rather a hillside
of scattered broken fossilised logs, the
longest measuring 30m (98ft) with a
circumference of 6m (20ft). A local guide
takes you on a 500m (550yd) amble,
explaining how the logs were thought to
have been carried here by floodwaters
from melting ice some 260 million years
ago. The logs, soaked through with water
rich in silica (a form of quartz) over time
were preserved in perfect form – take
a close look at the bark and concentric
rings in cross-section.
Tel: 00264 61 250 558
Email: office@nacobta.com.na
Website: www.nacobta.com.na
SOUTH OF ETOSHA
As you nose your dust trail ever north
across Damaraland, it’s your overnight
stops that break the monotony of the flat
scrub landscape. The following, off the
C35, are worth a look-see. Huab Lodge’s
luxurious thatched bungalows sit on the
banks of the Huab River (most times, dry),
amid the granite kopjes of a private game
reserve. Here, hot springs could lure you in
place of the pool or you could be persua-
ded to stay awhile for a game drive, guided
hike or horse outride to rock paintings.
Further north, Kavita Lion Lodge, bordering
the southwest corner of Etosha, has bun-
galows and a pool, but its appeal lies
more in the guided walks and excursions

VINGERKLIP into Etosha as well as Kaokoland. You will SESFONTEIN

Not to be confused with the Finger of God
south of Mariental that toppled off its
perch in 1988! This giant chalky Vinger-
klip, the limestone remnant of erosive
action in the Ugab River floodplain over
many millions of years, stands 75km
(47 miles) east of Khorixas. It’s spotted
miles before you get to its massive base
and a human figure beside its gigantic
girth is reduced to an inconsequential
speck as it rears to 35m (115m). Its most
fingerlike feature is the ‘thumb’ protruding
at its crown. Views from here over the
heavily scarped valley are stupendous –
descriptions of it as the Arizona of
Namibia are totally apt.
Tel: 00264 61 256 580
Email: info@namibian.org
Website: www.namibian.org
also come face to face with the rogue or
injured lions that are nurtured here.
Further west, near Etosha’s border,
Hobatere Lodge’s thatched bungalows,
pool and waterhole are on the Otjovasandu
River. The desert landscape of escarpment
and valley has inspired some writers to
compare it with the Great Rift Valley. Judge
for yourself. Wildlife walks and drives
explore the lodge’s own ranchlands, with
forays into Etosha’s western expanses.
Tel: 00264 61 285 7200/000
Email: reservations@nwr.com.na
Website: www.nwr.com.na
For travellers, this town is Damaraland’s
most northerly remnant of civilisation, set
in shale and limestone hills. It heralds the
even wilder Kaokoland. Its landmark is the
German fort, built four years after a mili-
tary post was set up here in 1896 follow-
ing the rinderpest outbreak. The intention
was to monitor cattle disease, with the
added headache of curbing poaching and
arms smuggling. It (of course) fell into dis-
repair before it was salvaged as a lodge.
Those looking for a little extra to their stop
here can join a day tour to a Himba or
Damara village, or visit rock paintings.
Tel: 00264 61 285 7200/ 5 685 034
Email: reservations@nwr.com.na
Website: www.nwr.com.na

See Touring Map: p167> See Touring Map: p167> See Touring Map: p166>

71
p68-79E 3/17/08 3:50 PM Page 72

Kaokoland to Khomas Hochland

THE DORSLAND TREKKERS RUACANA FALLS

Northeast of Sesfontein, between
Ombombo and Otjondeka, is the first of
the monuments to the tough, weather-
beaten Dorsland trekkers. They were an
intensely religious group living in the
Transvaal who packed their wagons and
headed into the sunset after Reverend
Thomas Burgers, whose teachings they
Before the Calueque dam was constructed EPUPA FALLS
20km (12 miles) upstream of the Cunene The best thing about this area is its
River, the Ruacana falls used to put on a remoteness and absence of visitors. Cambêno
e
far more dramatic display. Today, the pump- Tenacity gets you here, and if it’s wildness nen Epupa
Cu
ing volumes of water are diverted through you’re after, that’s exactly what you get. C43
Otjinhungwa
the underground turbines of the hydro- The falls are contained within channels, Skeleton
electric power station. The little town of water cascading in a series of drops and Coast Okauwe
Park Otj
Ruacana, 15km (9 miles) from the falls, disappearing into a dark, narrow cleft.

Kaoko
St

N
weren’t quite in synch with, was elected itself grew from a camp established for the Epupa (‘falling waters’ in Herero) is eil
r
the new president in 1872. Dubbed the workers. After decent summer rains, water ascribed to the most elongated watery

a
Etanga D
doppers (meaning ‘dampers’ after their still tumbles and pummels spectacularly ribbon, something over 30m (100ft). It’s

ve
propensity for blocking all efforts at pro- over the rocks – March to April are usually said that at low waters, visitors should try o

ld
m
gressive reform), their idealistic zeal had good months to see this. The Cunene’s wallowing in the pools above the falls; the k
them trekking across the Kalahari dorsland waters first separate into rocky channels eddies and rapids are manageable if you
o D37
a Dorsl

i
(‘thirstland’) to find their land of Beulah – before hightailing it over the tall escarp- hold on tight (no drifting towards the Chu

K
the Old Testament’s Land of Israel, ear- ment and coursing through a 2km-long lip!) – but just a little too hectic for the

b
marked for ‘God’s chosen people’. (1-mile) gorge. crocodiles. N Purros
Tel: 00264 61 290 6000 Tel: 00264 61 256 580 Tel: 00264 61 255 977/32 740 ib
Email: info@namibiatourism.com.na Email: info@namibian.org Email: helene@epupa.com.na a rus D3707
Ho Fort Sesfonte
Website: www.namibiatourism.com.na Website: www.namibian.org Website: www.epupa.com.na Rocky Point
Lod
SWAKOPMUND

DORSLAND MONUMENTS RAFTING ON THE KUNENE OWAMBOLAND

Heading northwest after the monument
near Otjondeka to Kaoko Otavi, you’ll come
across the ruins of a church (a heap of
rubble, despite its status as a National
Monument, proclaimed in 1951!) in the
Joubert mountains. Thereafter, via the
D3705, D3700 and D3701, Swartboois-
drift on the border with Angola marks the
spot where these hardy pioneers crossed
the Kunene – spelled Cunene in Angola –
to create the foundations of their new
home. Despite their idealism, heat and
exhaustion, fever and dysentery claimed
the lives of many. Over time, the disillu-
sioned group dispersed, some back to the
Transvaal, others to Grootfontein east of
Etosha.
Tel: 00264 61 290 6000
Email: info@namibiatourism.com.na
Website: www.namibiatourism.com.na
Half- to five-day whitewater rafting trips are
the highlight of activities run by the
Kunene River Lodge. Starting upstream of
Swartbooisdrift at the Ondarusu rapids,
trained guides manoeuvre rafts over froth-
ing turbulence that can culminate in test-
ing grade IV waters, eventually finishing
downstream at Epupa falls. If names like
the Crusher, Smash and Dead Man’s Grave
don’t get the adrenaline coursing through
your veins, nothing will. For more sedate
thrills, there’s quadbiking (maybe not so
sedate), birdwatching and a more liquid
form of entertainment, booze cruises
on the river.
Tel: 00264 65 274 300/56 580
Email: info@kuneneriverlodge.com
Website: www.kuneneriverlodge.com
The Owambo country north of Etosha
comes as a shock after the unpopulated
Kaokoveld. Over half of Namibia’s popula-
tion lives in this dusty, overgrazed zone of
hot, debilitating winds – the dust haze
sometimes so pervasive it’s necessary to
use headlights, creating a bizarre dust-
embalmed time capsule. January–February
rains transform this into a system of
shallow watercourses and vleis called
oshanas, precious to the communities for
their subsistence farming. If you’re looking
for diversion, at Uutapi (Ombalantu) is
a gigantic baobab – the locals call it
Omukwa – that has been in its time a safe
haven for cattle against invaders, a chapel,
and an interrogation chamber for prisoners
of war.
Tel: 00264 61 255 977/0 558
Email: office@nacobta.com.na
Website: www.nacobta.com.na

See Touring Map: p177> See Touring Maps: p176, 177> See Touring Maps: p176, 177>

72
p68-79E 3/17/08 3:50 PM Page 73

Kaokoland

Cambêno Epupa Ombala-io- XANGONGO

e
Falls
Ermo's
ANGOLA Mungo Ondjiva
nen Epupa
Cu Omarunga Calueque B
Ruacana Naulila 1 KHOMAS HOCHLAND
Otjinhungwa C43 Chitado Falls
Skeleton Swartbooisdrift Ruacana Okalongo Erosive forces over hundreds of millions of
D3608
Coast Okauwe D3701 years have abraded and sculpted this
Park Otjiveze Kunene Ombalantu upland into ridges, valleys and hills march-
Kaoko

River Lodge C46 Oshikuku

St
N

M123
eil C43 ing across the landscape. Its heights mod-
rand Ombarundu Oshakati
Mts C41 ulating between 1750m and 2000m
a

Etanga D3703 Okahao Ondangwa

d (5740–6560ft), the Khomas Hochland
ve

Ombombo
a n Opuwo

TSUMEB
o l Kaoko C35 C41 Etilyasa Etaka bridges Namibia’s inland central plateau
ld
m

k Otavi KM 100 and the dramatic flatland of the Namib

o D3707 D3635
plains. Three dizzying passes cutting
a Dorsland Trek
i

Church Ruin MI 50 D3605

through the Hochland, Bosua, Ushoogte
D3709
NAMIBIA
K

D3704
and Gamsberg, connect the coastal strip
b

Otjondeka
N Purros D3705 with Windhoek.
Ombombo Home of Tel: 00264 61 290 6000
ib C43
us D3707 Dorsland Trekkers
ar Email: info@namibiatourism.com.na
Ho
Rocky Point Fort Sesfontein D3710 C35 Etosha National Park Website: www.namibiatourism.com.na
Lodge Kowares
SWAKOPMUND Sesfontein OTJIWARONGO

CROSSING THE DESERT THE HIMBA VON FRANÇOIS FORT

Also referred to as the Kaokoveld, this The only signs of habitation are the scat- This fort along the C28 (some 55km/
primeval part of Africa demands that any tered beehive huts belonging to semi- 34 miles from Windhoek) was named after
traveller crossing its expanse be 100% nomadic pastoralists, the Himba, descend- Major Curt von François who was respons-
self-sufficient – food, water, medical sup- ed from the earliest Herero tribes. A very ible for establishing military headquarters
plies, fuel and vehicle spare parts – as beautiful people, the Himba can be seen in Windhoek. The outpost initially pro-
there are no towns, very few lodges, and a following their hardy cattle and goats in tected the route between Swakopmund
lack of fresh water. Roads are gravel search of grazing, distinctive in the fat and and today’s capital but ended its life as a
tracks and you’ll find you often average ochre body paint that enhances their fea- ‘drying out’ station for over-imbibing
only 50kph (30mph) – Opuwo to Epupa tures and colours their hair. They share German soldiers. Forty kilometres (25
falls is a full day’s travel, for example. A their land with the last of the desert ele- miles) from Windhoek, the abandoned
convoy of two or more vehicles almost phant (little more than 40) who’ve adapted double-storey Liebig House belonged to
goes without saying. The stark, rugged so well that they can go four or five days Dr R Hartig, head of a farming concern.
desert peaks of the northwest are the without water, their legs carrying them Built in the early 20th century, the build-
most remote, with the vertiginous Van Zyl’s across 70km (40 miles) in a day to slake ing’s wonderful views and derelict fountain
Pass bridging the transition between flat, their thirst. in a room downstairs hint at definitely
barren wasteland and upland plateau. Tel: 00264 61 290 6000 more opulent times.
Tel: 00264 65 273 003/1 290 6000 Email: info@namibiatourism.com.na Tel: 00264 61 290 6000
Email: info@namibiatourism.com.na Website: www.namibiatourism.com.na Email: info@namibiatourism.co.na
Website: www.namibiatourism.com.na Website: www.namibiatourism.com.na

See Touring Maps: p176, 177> See Touring Map: p157>

73
p68-79E 3/17/08 3:56 PM Page 74

ETOSHA PAN

ETOSHA’S CAMPS
ETOSHA’S GEOLOGY The three camps are distanced about
The shimmering white salt pan that 70km (40 miles) from one another and
stretches as far as the eye can see has you don’t do the park full justice unless
earned Etosha its name: ‘great white you spend three or so days in at least a
place’. Of the park’s vast 20,000km2 couple of them. Perhaps the most histori-
(7800 sq miles), the flat saline desert cal is Fort Namutoni, with its tower and
takes up 5000km2 (1950 sq miles), luring ramparts (see p22). Habituated warthogs
wild animals of all shapes and sizes to ferreting outside your door and little mon-
benefit from its mineral content. Twelve gooses darting actively underfoot come
million years ago, this existed as an with the permit. Visitors love the makalani-
immense shallow depression watered by palm-fringed pool. The floodlit waterhole is
the Kunene River, but climatic changes great for vociferous frogs but funnily
and tectonic upheaval caused water levels enough not wildlife – leave that to the
to subside. For only a few days a year, game drives. Halali’s basic bungalows
rains fill the dips and channels, with yel- squat at the foot of dolomite outcrops. The
low-billed pelicans and pink flamingos camp crest is a horn, symbolising the old
massing on the waters. German tradition of blowing it at the end

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Independent travellers can only explore
Etosha’s eastern two-thirds; the remaining
third in the western extreme is the sole
domain of tour operators. Visitors have a
selection of three restcamps all with shop,
restaurant, fuel and braai sites, and each
differing nicely in character. Prebooking
and permits are a necessity. Ordinary veh-
icles can navigate Etosha’s gravel roads
but a 4x4 allows more freedom in explor-
ing the more difficult tracks and, of
course, a better vantage point. Vehicles
may not cross the pan but a track does
make an inroad to the Etosha lookout,
where you are surrounded by the immense
dry, cracked, saline crust.
of a hunt. A short walk from the camp
winds up to a bouldered kopje where
benches in strategic spots look down onto
a floodlit waterhole. All manner of wild ani-
mals sidle up to drink, rhino included.
Okaukuejo’s waterhole is legendary for its
rhino visitations – and true to form, I once
witnessed a snorting, passive-aggressive
face-off between three males here.
Otherwise, a constant parade of zebra,
wildebeest, gemsbok and antelope picks
its way up and down to the water.
Elephants come to play when the park is
dry. Okaukuejo’s bungalows are spacious
with great outdoor braai spaces.
Tel: 00264 67 229 300 Namutoni
Tel: 00264 67 229 800 Okaukuejo

74
p68-79E 3/17/08 3:56 PM Page 75

ONDANGWA

D3605
B
1

Lyapeke

TSUMEB
Okasnanakana
Andoni
Andoni Beisebvlakte
Mushara Acacia
Stinkwater Ubares Pan

Amazing strides in technology Kameeldoring

have enabled permanently Fischer's Pan Fort Aroe
placed 24-hour webcams at each Namutoni
of Etosha’s camp waterholes. Groot Okevi
These record the minute-by- Etosha Pan Namutoni
Twee Palms

minute rank and file of wild ani- Okerfontein

mals coming to freshen up. Etosha Chudop Namutoni
Lookout Ngobib
People anywhere in the world Kalkheuwel
C38 Batia
can log on to experience the
Springbokfontein
vibe of Africa. Okondeka Gonob Helio Noniams
Haas Homob
Graves of Halali
Wolfnes Eiland
Dorsland
Trekkers
Okaukuejo Kapupuhedi

Gemsbokvlakte
Gaseb Aus Etosha
Olifantsbad
National
Okaukuejo Park
Ombika
Andersson
Ongava Gate Hesteriakoppies D2866
Lodge
D2865
D2779

Toshari
Inn
D2780 D2782 Uib

Ojamba N C39

Gamkarab
Guest Farm KM 50
C38
D2780 D2761 C39
OTJIWARONGO MI 25

NOAH’S ANIMALS ETOSHA’S HIGHLIGHTS

Etosha’s enduring appeal is perhaps the
staggering variety – and numbers – of its
wildlife. A bit like Noah’s Ark which had all
the animals, two by two, you’re likely to
see all of the Big Five (except for buffalo),
most of the antelope species (including
the rarer sable and roan), blue wildebeest,
Burchell’s zebra, giraffe, and then a whole
lot of the smaller creatures. Two unusual
gazelles to look out for are the shy
Damara dik-dik and black-faced impala, not
often seen elsewhere. Even the perky,
wide-eyed curiosity of the diminutive
ground squirrel is totally endearing.
What marks Etosha’s environment is how
the terrain transforms from dense thickets
of mopane woodland to open yellow grass-
lands, and from thorny acacia scrub to
vast flat salt pan. Quite astonishing is that
Visitors won’t fail to miss the you encounter animals in midday’s searing
ubiquitous – and quite gorgeous sun as equally as the cooling late after-
– pale chanting goshawk with noon hours. Zebra, giraffe and gemsbok
its salmon-pink legs and beak or are eternally chewing in the grasslands.
the powerfully-winged bateleur, Namutoni’s reputation for leopard and lion
both often poised on high perch- will find you often catching a female lion
es. Lappet-faced and white- stalking an animal in the long grasses or
backed vultures also congregate snoozing lazily under a tree alongside
in the wooded savanna. the road. Olifantsbad near Okaukuejo is
elephant paradise, with enormous herds
marching in single file over the hill, ears
flapping, eager to trumpet and spray and
splash in their mudbath.

See Touring Maps: p167, 168, 177, 178>

75
p68-79E 3/17/08 4:02 PM Page 76
Khaudom to Victoria Falls (Zambia)
KHAUDOM GAME RESERVE
Even by Namibian standards, this is true
wilderness, reinforced by the remoteness
of these extreme eastern reaches. Little
visited and offering no facilities whatso-
ever, travellers venture into Khaudom to
test their wildlife-tracking skills, as animals
are skittish and unused to car engines.
Edging onto Botswana’s Kalahari, the
park’s patches of solitary baobabs and dry
woodland survive on sandy soils that
become impassable during the rains in
late November to March. Fossil riverbeds,
known as omuramba, are lined with
reedbeds which rejuvenate in the wet sea-
son, luring animals crossing their tradition-
al east–west migratory path.
Tel: 00264 61 285 7000/4 2111
Email: reservations@nwr.com.na
Website: www.nwr.com.na
To spot the wildlife (antelope
species including gemsbok and
roan, plains game, the large
cats, and even wild dog), visitors
need to brush up on their know-
ledge of animal habits – when
they stalk their prey, feed, drink,
and rest.
See Touring Map: p179>
76
MAHANGO GAME RESERVE
This reserve (no facilities) sticks out like a
thumb off the western end of the Caprivi
Strip and in fact is part of the newly crea-
ted Bwabwata National Park. Its eastern
extent butts onto the Okavango River with,
as a result, a luxuriant profusion of riverine
woodland hiding colourful twittering life of
the bird kind. Birding fanatics will be over-
whelmed by how many different species
they can train their lenses on in the space
of a couple of hours’ quiet time at the
river – look out for the Meyer’s and Cape
parrots daubed with wild red, green, blue
and yellow. Great herds of migrant ele-
phant pass through, too.
Tel: 00264 61 285 7000/200
Email: reservations@nwr.com.na
Website: www.nwr.com.na
CAPRIVI & COMMUNITY
With the formation of Bwabwata, the
remaining sectors of the previous Caprivi
Game Park have been handed over to rural
communities, who engage in subsistence
farming in the wetlands and along the river
systems. South of Kongola, the Lizauli
Traditional Village sets out to inform and
entertain visitors with demonstrations of
daily life and traditions, from farming and
tool-making to music and games. Training
and education see individuals recruited as
game scouts for the nearby national parks.
Tel: 00264 66 686 802, 61 290 6000
Email: info@kalizolodge.com
Website: www.kalizolodge.com
See Touring Map: p180>
MUDUMU NATIONAL PARK
Again, the lie of the land in this park –
fringing the Kwando at its western extent
– has fostered a beautiful tall-treed set-
ting of green foliage and dappled light.
Best in winter (June to October) because
wildlife is drawn inexorably to the river’s
perennial waters, the park is regaining lost
ground from its destructive years as a
hunting concession. Also passing through,
besides the water-loving hippos, crocs and
antelope species, are elephant and buf-
falo. The phrase ‘birds for Africa’ is most
apt here too. If you’ve had your fill of
roughing it (there are no facilities), treat
yourself to Lianshulu Lodge’s luxurious
reed-and-thatch A-frames outside the park.
Tel: 00264 61 285 7000/200
Email: reservations@nwr.com.na
Website: www.nwr.com.na
MAMILI NATIONAL PARK
Much resembling the Okavango Delta,
Mamili is Namibia’s only conserved
swampland. Its land nestles in the crook
of a river boundary formed by the Kwando
on one side and the Linyanti on the other.
When rains are good, the park is flooded
between May and August, transforming
into channelled wetlands, wooded islands
and papyrus marshes. Naturally, semi-
aquatic wildlife thrives in this environment,
opening up your chances of catching a
glimpse of the shy sitatunga, puku, red
lechwe and even otters. If you love solitari-
ness, you are quite likely to be the only
visitors in this park at any one time.
Tel: 00264 61 285 7000
Email: met.nnp@iafrica.na
Website: www.nwr.com.na
See Touring Maps: p180, 181>
 p68-79E 3/17/08 4:02 PM Page 77
Zambia)
KATIMA MULILO
Sealing off the eastern end of the Caprivi
Strip is regional capital Katima Mulilo, a
not-so pretty town redeemed by its
extremely pretty wooded surrounds on the
Zambezi. The vivid hues of tropical birds
and chattering monkeys in the shady trees
flanking the river will distract you entirely
from the humdrum town. Of course, the
fishing is good; doing battle with a razor-
toothed tiger fish or the less feisty bream
is another worthy distraction. Otherwise,
tune-up, refuel and replenish supplies,
then quench your thirst at the floating pon-
toon bar moored at the Zambezi Hotel (do
note, though: limited opening hours).
Tel: 00264 66 252 739/3 586
Email: info@namibiatourism.com.na
Website: www.namibiatourism.com.na
In an upliftment initiative, local
craftspeople at the Caprivi Art
Centre have received specialised
training in various crafting skills
to bring in money that benefits
the community. Visitors can
make original finds among wood
and soapstone carvings, earth-
enware pots, woven baskets
and traditional weapons.
See Touring Map: p181>
LIVINGSTONE
Zambia’s old, colonial-style capital (see
also p51) is slowly, sleepily reviving itself,
but the action very definitely focuses on
adventure activities making best use of
the Zambezi River’s mutable waters. Do
stay away in hot and horrid October (38ºC;
100ºF), made worse by its 90% humidity;
and know that the winter months of June
to September are dry and dusty. What
Livingstone does well is its plethora of
secluded, atmospheric lodges along the
river. If you’re more into white-gloved
hospitality, the multimillion-dollar Royal
Livingstone, with its green lawns and river-
side sundowner deck, harks back to old
colonial gentility.
Tel: 00260 3 321 404/33 22089
Email: livingstone@zambiatourism.org.zm
Website: www.zambiatourism.com
MOSI-OA-TUNYA
NATIONAL PARK
This tiny reserve, Zambia’s smallest, is
made up of the Victoria Falls section and
the game park. In the wildlife sector, visi-
tors can take their own vehicle in, join a
game drive (arranged in Livingstone) or
sign up for a guided walking tour at the
park gates. In spite of the pint-sized terri-
tory, visitors still see zebra, giraffe and a
handful of antelope. Best of all, you fall
just short of a guarantee that you’ll end up
nose to snout with Zambia’s only surviving
(and carefully guarded!) white rhinos.
Tel: 00260 1 229 087/90, 278 129
Email: zawaorg@zawa.org.zm
Website: www.zawa.org.zm
See Touring Map: p181>
ZAMBIAN FALLS VIEWS
The views onto the Main Falls may not be
as spectacular but the sensation of being
in closer contact with the frothing waters
and drenching mist-spray is mesmerising.
A dramatic (slippery!) footbridge carries
awestruck visitors to Knife Edge Point for
views of the Eastern Cataract).Then there
are views downstream to the Zambezi
Bridge, along the first zigzagging arm of
the deep-cut Batoka gorge, and if you walk
down to the riverbank itself, you peer into
the bubbles of the Boiling Pot.
Tel: 00260 1 229 087/90
Email: zntb@zamnet.zm
Website: www.zambiatourism.com
LIVINGSTONE ISLAND PICNIC
During the dry season (June to October),
when the river is low, a boat ferries up to
10 eager diners to Livingstone Island for a
meal of their choice – brunch, lunch or
afternoon tea. Seated around a linen-
bedecked table and sipping on sparkling
wine, they are discreetly served by uni-
formed staff a breath-holding step away
from the lip of the abyss.
Tel: 00260 3 321 404/33 22089
Email: livingstone@zambiatourism.org.zm
Website: www.zambiatourism.com
See Touring Map: p181>
77
p68-79E 3/17/08 4:02 PM Page 78

ZAMBEZI RIVER (ZAMBIA)

In Zimbabwe, rafts ‘put in’ at

Big Eddy. In Zambia, the put-in
is at Boiling Pot – this is the
closest you get to the Victoria
TAKE A FLIP Falls in a raft. Rapid 9 is called
If you’d prefer to match the fish eagle’s Commercial Suicide by the opera-
view of the Great Zambezi, fold yourself tors – they all portage around it! ALL-DAY SPLASH-OUT
into a little plane to better understand the Rafting company Safari Par Excellence has
river’s geological progression (if the river is dreamed up the Big Day Out, aimed at
low) where it has sliced seven zigzags maniacs for whom one adrenaline rush
across the 1.7km (1-mile) basalt lip over THE WHITEWATER RAPIDS doesn’t quite cut it. The day begins with
which the falls thunder. The tumultuous High-water runs – usually tamer because whitewater rafting, progresses to river
flow is eroding an eighth line at Devil’s of fewer obstacles – take place around boarding and jet-boating, moves on to a
Cataract, on the extreme western end. beginning July to mid-August. Low-water helicopter trip up the Zambezi gorge and
You also get great views of the lazy river- runs – wilder because of exposed rocks culminates in a lung-expanding-yell of a
flow above the falls as the Zambezi – happen from roughly mid-August to late bungee jump. Expect to shell out the
meanders around green islands before it December. Rafts bounce and slide for a bucks! If this is not quite for you, you
disappears into mist-enshrouded depths, winding 22km (14 miles) from rapid 4 to could try abseiling a dry gorge, swing
then reemerges at the foot of the sharply 18 (sometimes to 23 – request this across the gorge via a high-level cable or,
cut gorges which snake sharply off into upfront) on the Zimbabwean side, and from akin to a bridge jump, launch yourself into
the distance. rapid 1 to 18 (or 23) on the Zambian side. the centre of the gorge on a giant swing.

Kalala Musa Naminwe Plain

be

B309 THE ZAMBEZI BRIDGE

Gate
Lum

Chunga
Lui

Namwala
Itezhi Tezhi Constructed in 1905, the graceful 152m
Lochinvar
N Kataba Kafue Chitongo NP (500ft) main arch span of this bridge is
o

National suspended above the Zambezi as it cours-

ok

Nanzhila M11
Nj

CHISEKESI

n a Park Plains es through the Batoka gorge. Linking the

LUPUKA

KM 100 Kwe ch
ile
a Zambian and Zimbabwean banks, it
Bwina M Chilala D361
i
ez

MI 50 embodied at the time another step in Cecil

lob

South
Mu

Ngonye Falls Entrance Gate Pemba John Rhodes’ dream to forge a Cape-to-
Nawinda
Sioma Kuta
M10 Z Simamba Choma Cairo road and rail link. Both road and rail-
am RD325
be Malabwe Batoka way line still operate today. Visitors must
zi Simatanga Plain
Kalomo t pass through immigration and customs to
Sioma D787 ZAMBIA
D356
en get onto the bridge – a worthwhile excur-
Ilwendo pm
Ngwezi Kangubu Plains ar sion as the views are stupendous and you
ile

NP
ch

sc

can watch zealots lunging toward the river

Ma

Katundu Zimba
E

Ngweze Maamba
Sesheke 110m (360ft) below.
zi

T1
Kabanga
KONGOLA

be

Katima Mulilo Zamb Senkobo

ezi M10
m

Binga
Za

Matonga Kazungula
B
8
NAMIBIA Mosi-oa Kasane
Batoka
Livingstone
i
Ngoma
D3501 Tunya NP Gorge bez Mlibizi
Mudumu Lake Zambezi Z am
Muchenje Victoria Falls
NP Liambezi NP Deka
Linyandi A8
HALFWAY HOUSE

Sangwali D3511 Kataba Kazuma

Ngwezumba Hwange Kamativi
Pan NP
Kwan

Mamili Matetsi
NP BOTSWANA Safari Area Gwayi
do

River
Savuti Savuti Chobe Pandamatenga ZIMBABWE
National Park Dete See Touring Maps: p180, 181, 182>

78
p68-79E 3/17/08 4:02 PM Page 79

CAPRIVI STRIP

LAND OF CONTENTION
Sometime in the early 1960s right through
to 1990, the Caprivi Strip was the centre
of strife and contention. And even in the
late 1990s, conflict bubbled over.
Historically, this 500km-long (300-mile)
strip was the domain of the Barotse; in
time it became a British protectorate, later
passed into the hands of Germany, and
then fell under South Africa’s wing until
Namibia gained her independence. The
Strip also failed to evade spillover from
the Angolan civil war. More peaceful today,
there are moves to involve the local farm-
ing communities in conservation efforts
along the Caprivi and in reaping revenues
for their own benefit.
Tel: 00264 66 686 802
Email: bruno@iway.na
BWABWATA NATIONAL PARK
Formed from remnants of the now disman-
tled Caprivi Game Park (see also p23),
Bwabwata occupies a western and an
eastern tract within the Caprivi Strip, on
the Okavango River to the west and on the
Kwando River to the east. Protracted con-
flicts here during the struggle for independ-
ence have undoubtedly taken their toll with
burning and clearing of vegetation, and the
hunting out of wildlife. On the plus side,
the natural migration route runs through
here, and the verdant aquatic vegetation
can’t fail to tempt the passing animal
parade back to its turf. For now, elephant,
hippo, crocodile and feline prowlers, lion
and leopard, inhabit the recovering terrain.
CROSSING THE
GOLDEN HIGHWAY
Travellers to the Caprivi should know that,
between Divundu in the west to Kongola
on the Kwando River, there are no facilities
along the ‘Golden Highway’ (B8) crossing
the Strip end to end. Until recently it was
necessary to tackle this stretch by joining
the official convoy that crossed twice
daily, but latest requirements are to check
beforehand with the local authorities.
Overriding advice, however, is: safety in
numbers. The Caprivi’s flat landscape is
characterised by fertile floodplains inter-
spersed with groves of mopane and
woodland forest – although remnants of
parallel dunes throughout are reminders
of drier times.

MONGU Kataba
POPA FALLS Lu ZAMBIA
ile

ian Rivungo Shangombo Sitoti ch

At the Caprivi’s westernmost extent, near a Bwina Ma
i
ez

RD463
e
mb

Luiana
lob

Bagani, the Okavango River disperses into Ngonye Nawinda

Lu

Mulonga Plain
Mu

Partial Falls Kuta

a broad series of rapids that cascade over Reserve Mulele Sioma
Za RD325 Simamba
the rocks, creating water channels and Lupuka
Unhe RD323 m Malabwe
be
splashing around islands. The Popa falls zi
don’t exactly live up to their name but you Chibaranda RD462 Sioma D787
can spend some idle moments negotiating Ngwezi M10
Luia Caprivi
na NP Kangubu
ANGOLA
LIVINGSTONE

the walkway into the middle of the river to Sinjembele Art Centre Katundu Plains
Luiana Katima
clamber over the rocks. You might see the Protected Public RD324 Mulilo
Reserve of Imusho Zam M10
ears and nostrils of a hippo protruding bez
Mucusso i
from the water or startle a prehistoric croc- Kongola Matonga B Kazungula
RUNDU

8
Kasane
odile soporifically sunning itself. In actual
Mucusso
NA MIBIA Ngoma
Popa Lizauli Traditional Mudumu i
fact, a pair of nostrils breaking the surface B Bwabwata nt
VICTORIA FALLS

8 Falls Village NP ya Muchenje Matetsi

could just as easily be a croc eyeing you Divundu Bagani NP Lianshulu Kw L in Lake Safari
a n do Liambezi
out. . . Mahanga Lodge Area
GR Sangoshe Mamili
Shakawe NP Ngwezumba
Tsodilo
Ok

Savuti
Chobe Chinamba
av

Hills
an

Sepupa
National Park Hills
go

N Etsha 13
Khwai Gate BOTSWANA
(North Gate)
NATA

Okavango
Delta Kudumane
KM 100 Moremi
Gumare Maqwee Gate Makgadikgadi
MI 50 GR (South Gate) and Nxai Pan
NOKANENG National Park
See Touring Maps: p170, 171, 180, 181>

79
 DRIVE
SOUTHERN

DRIVE SOUTHERN AFRICA

 REGIONAL OVERVIEWS
 DRIVING ROUTES
 EASY-TO-USE STRIP ROUTES
 LOCATION MAPS
 IMAGES & DETAILS OF TOP SITES
 FULL 64 PAGE ATLAS SECTION COVERING:
AFRICA
SOUTH AFRICA, LESOTHO, NAMIBIA, BOTSWANA, ZIMBABWE & MOZAMBIQUE

 96 CITY & TOWN MAPS

 DETAILED TOURISM RESOURCES

© Map Studio 2008. Previous edition published

as the Touring Atlas of Southern Africa ISBN
1-86809-807-9. All rights reserved. No part of
this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic
DRIVING ROUTES AROUND SOUTHERN AFRICA
tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise, without prior permission in writing

60 TOP SITES
from the Copyright owner.

Cover image by Hirsh Aronowitz

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to New Holland Publishing (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd

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COMPREHENSIVE ROAD ATLAS
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DETAILED RESOURCE SECTION